College Football Handicapping Articles

Doc’s Sports 2011 Michigan State Spartans Football Betting Preview
by Doc - 9/1/2011

The Michigan State Spartans have been the one team I can never seem to get a handle on when predicting what their record will be in the Big Ten. Over the course of the past 40 years, this team always seems to play to the levels of their opponent and not to the talent that they have on the team. This is probably the strongest team that Coach Mark Dantonio has had since his arrival in East Lansing, but I would be shocked if they would be able to match last season’s 11-2 record. Michigan State has tough road games this year against Ohio State,

College Football Handicapping: Top 10 Strengths and Weaknesses
by T.O. Whenham - 9/1/2011

With the college football season finally starting tonight it’s a very good time to take a closer look at the top-ranked teams. This is a fascinating time to look at the highest-ranked teams because there will be so much change from now to the end of the year. Last year two of the Top 5 preseason teams wound up unranked, and Auburn was only ranked 22nd before the season started. Given the questions virtually every team in the country has surrounding them this year it’s almost certain that there will be that kind of disarray this year as well.

NCAA Football Odds and Predictions: Big Ten Player Props
by Alan Matthews - 9/1/2011

We continue our look at some NCAA football conference player props offered by Bodog with the Big Ten today – which is now a conference of 12 teams, but for some reason refused to change its name (why start now, it didn’t for nearly 20 years with 11 teams), but it did add two silly division names in Legends and Leaders (and a rather ridiculous new conference logo) with the addition of Nebraska.

College Fantasy Football Advice and Tips
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 9/1/2011

With a nation of sports fans fully engrossed with NFL Fantasy Football, could another craze soon be on the way? With participation in NFL Fantasy Football growing in the tens of millions, lesser-known but equally addicting College Fantasy Football leagues are sprouting up more and more each year growing into the thousands.

Oregon vs. LSU Predictions and College Football Picks
by Alan Matthews - 8/31/2011

With all due respect to Boise State and Georgia – which unfortunately is on television at the same time so get those picture-in-picture directions back out or head to your local watering hole – the game of college football’s opening weekend is Saturday night at Cowboys Stadium outside Dallas when No. 3 Oregon and No. 4 LSU face off in what could conceivably be a National Championship preview. It’s the first time that two preseason Top-5 teams have opened against each other in a nonconference game since 1984.

Free College Football Picks: UNLV at Wisconsin Odds and Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 8/31/2011

It might not be recognized by the U.S. government or anything, but in my mind Thursday should be declared a national holiday because college football is finally back. It’s not a great opening night in terms of good teams as only two ranked clubs will play and both are huge favorites: No. 11 Wisconsin vs. UNLV and No. 20 Mississippi State at Memphis. Let’s take a look at that Rebels-Badgers game, which is the second year in a row the two teams have faced off. The game is on ESPN.

College Football Predictions: Most Interesting Week 1 Games
by T.O. Whenham - 8/31/2011

I don’t know about you, but I couldn’t be more excited about the start of the college football season. The offseason always seems long, but this one has seemed particularly endless. The season always gets better as it progresses and games start to mean more, but there are a lot of meaty games this week to choose from. Here are 12 that stand out in my eyes (all odds are from 5Dimes):

College Football Picks: Mid-Major Game Day Predictions
by David Schwab - 8/31/2011

The 2011 college football season kicks-off this Thursday night with the majority of both Division IA and IAA teams in action over the extended Labor Day weekend. This is your first crack at wagering on some meaningful football action since last year’s Super Bowl, but before you devote all your handicapping efforts on the marquee matchups on this week’s college football schedule, it is worth taking a moment to scour the current lines for a few games that may not be the center of attention. Often, there is value to be found in games such as this, but you have to take the time (and do your homework) to actually find it.

Doc’s Sports 2011 Nebraska Cornhuskers Football Betting Preview
by Doc - 8/30/2011

The Huskers will be playing in the Big Ten this season, and a conference title is certainly within their grasp. Experience will be a key factor and Nebraska should be able to quickly acclimate to the Big Ten since they have had to take on the big boys from the Big 12 in the past. Foes such as Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Texas A& M will lay the groundwork for success in the Big Ten under Bo Pelini.

Doc’s Sports 2011 Michigan Wolverines Football Betting Preview
by Doc - 8/30/2011

The Wolves will feature a new coach this season in Brady Hoke. Even more important will be the job that the new defensive coordinator has in trying to turn around this program. That task will fall to Greg Mattison, who has coached this position for the Baltimore Ravens and Florida Gators in recent years. It was imperative for Michigan to hire the right man for this job as they were one of the worst defensive teams in the country under Rich Rodriquez the last three years.

Doc’s Sports Northwestern Wildcats Football Betting Preview
by Doc - 8/30/2011

I really like this Wildcat team and have them rated higher than most experts do. The big key to their success will be the play and health of QB Dan Persa. He played outstanding last year before going down with an ACL injury, and there are still lingering questions going into this season about how healthy he actually is. Their road schedule is brutal this year as they must face Illinois, Nebraska, and Iowa away from Evanston.

NCAA Football Odds and Predictions: Big 12 Player Props
by Alan Matthews - 8/30/2011

We continue our look at some NCAA football conference player props offered by Bodog with the Big 12 today – a conference of 10 teams (at least for one more year until Texas A&M bolts to the SEC) and now without a regular-season ending title game. Actually, that fact probably helps the elite of the Big 12 because three times a team has been booted from national title contention because of an upset loss in the Big 12 title game.

College Football Mid-Major Conference Betting Preview
by David Schwab - 8/30/2011

The 2011 college football season gets underway this Thursday night and while much of the interest with the betting public is concentrated on the teams that comprise the six major conferences, there is a wealth of value and opportunity to be found in the mid-majors as well.

Doc’s Weekly Big Ten Betting Report
by Doc - 8/29/2011

The Big Ten Conference has a new look this season with the addition of Nebraska, and it is now split into two divisions, the Leaders and the Legends. With this addition the conference now has 12 teams and it will be able to offer a Big Ten Championship Game in December with the winner of this game getting an automatic BCS bowl game appearance. I will be offering my insights on the conference with this weekly article throughout the 2011-12 season.

College Football Handicapping: Conference Size Changes
by T.O. Whenham - 8/26/2011

It’s time for some pretty big changes in college football, which is something you are likely aware of by now. In a move that could only make sense in the brilliantly illogical world of college football, the Big 12 will have 10 teams this year (and fewer next year, it seems), while the Big Ten has 12 teams. The Pac-10 has also become the Pac-12.

NCAA Football Betting Tips: Specialize
by David Schwab - 8/26/2011

A new college football season is right around the corner, so it’s time to formulate a betting strategy that will help to ensure a positive return on your investment this season. College football makes up a substantial amount of the action a typical sportsbook handles in a given year, so there is tremendous opportunity to profit from the sport if you follow a few simple guidelines when engaging in college football handicapping.

NCAA Football Odds and Predictions: ACC Player Props
by Alan Matthews - 8/25/2011

Bodog has released literally hundreds of NCAA football player props for the upcoming season, and I will take a look at each BCS conference’s options here at Doc’s Sports. Let’s go alphabetically and start today with the options offered in the Atlantic Coast Conference, which has been in the news for mostly the wrong reasons this offseason with the issues/at Miami (which threatens to change the ACC for years), North Carolina and Georgia Tech. Of those three, really only UM had a realistic shot at winning the conference title in 2011.

2011 Indiana Hoosiers Predictions and Football Betting Preview
by Doc - 8/24/2011

New Coach Kevin Wilson is set to take over at Indiana and the former offensive coordinator at Oklahoma will have his hands full as he tries to get this program back to respectability. As was proven during the Bill Mallory era, wins are hard to come by for this program during conference play. It would no surprise me if this program wins three or four games in 2011, but winning a Big Ten game seems very doubtful.

Doc’s Sports 2011 Ohio State Buckeyes Football Betting Preview
by Doc - 8/23/2011

This year’s Ohio State team may be the most difficult team in the Big Ten to handicap. Some of their talent is suspended for the first five games of the season because of the big scandal involving NCAA infractions, and that does not include QB Terrelle Pryor, who left school for the NFL. The biggest fallout from this scandal, however, is that Coach Jim Tressel was forced to resign since he withheld information about his players instead of reporting it to authorities. Ohio State recently had their hearing in front of the NCAA and they may add additional penalties in a couple of months.

Betting Impact of Terrelle Pryor Draft Pick for Raiders
by T.O. Whenham - 8/23/2011

After a tumultuous offseason and a several stops and starts along the way, Terrelle Pryor is an NFL player. Given his attitude and behavioral issues it seems very fitting that he has landed in Oakland — the refuge for guys like him for years. The Raiders turned some heads when they offered a third-round pick for him in Monday’s Supplemental Draft, but they obviously felt that he was a player they needed and that they weren’t alone in their admiration of him.